What Happened In-between
by SuddenSilenceWon
Summary: What happened between the events in the game? This story follows the characters from different points of view during the course of the game between the quests and plot points. Rated M for violence and adult themes later on. Eventual F!Lavellan/Solas pairing. Features all the major characters.
1. The Girl Who Fell From the Fade Part 1

**Author's notes: There are some ideas used that are strictly for this story. I don't subscribe to any one theory in the DAU and have presented certain characters in a way for the interest of storytelling. This story does take place over the course of the events in Dragon Age: Inquisition but does not retell the story shown in the course of the game. I felt the first chapter ran a bit long, so I cut it into two parts. Please feel free to leave comments, but remember this story came from a "What if" question my mind came up with and I simply ran with it. Please keep an open mind and I hope you enjoy the story.**

In a small village at the foothills of the Frostback Mountain was a tavern. The establishment was old and the plaster walls were a mottled brown from years of patrons smoking their pipes and the candles burning in sconces on the walls. At a table in a dark corner of the tavern sat a solitary elf. He attempted to look thoroughly engrossed by the book in front of him in an attempt to keep the other patrons from interrupting him from his thoughts. He rarely sought any area so over-crowded especially when such fear of magic was in the air, but he had two very good reasons to be in this tavern. For one the weather outside meant that any attempt to linger without shelter would result in succumbing to the elements, the second reason was here he would be able to overhear any information about the conclave soon to take place a few miles away in the Temple in the mountains. He would have journeyed on to be closer to the temple, but the small village of Haven was overrun with clerics, Templars and various other groups that would have taken the arrival of a hedge mage as a threat. As it was, his arrival in this tavern had, at first, been met with suspicious glances and hushed whispers from the patrons when they saw the staff he carried. The owner had originally not wanted him to stay, a few sovereigns more than was necessary had changed her mind rather quickly however.

Three days had passed and the energy in the tavern had become almost electric as more and more people poured into the small village. The conclave was to begin in only a few short hours. A few hours after that, the first runner of many would surely come with news from Haven. It was around noon when the mage came down from his room and found his usual corner. He had a small meal and several weak ales as he waited patiently for news to arrive. Three hours into his wait news finally came, but not in the form of a runner. The light from the late afternoon sun was abruptly replaced with a short lived darkness before a bright green flash of light filled the room. Panic set in among the patrons as they rushed for the door. The elf followed suit and was swiftly pulled into the panicked throng. The mead soaked crowd pressing too closely together, elbows and shoulders ramming into each other, stampeding outside threatened to pull him to the ground where he'd surely be trampled. He was about to cast a barrier to protect himself from injury when he found himself outside. The stampede abruptly stopped just outside the tavern, replaced by a stunned crowd all standing still, eyes to the sky. Only moments had passed since the strange light when the accompanying boom of the blast rumbled through the village. Shielding his eyes from the light that had yet to settle, the mage looked up. He gasped as he saw what had caused the explosion of light and sound. A gaping hole swirling like a whirlpool in the air and from it a bright virescent stream of light stretched toward the mountain. As panic surrounded him on all sides, the mage knew there was only one thing to do. He turned away from the stunned crowd and went back inside the tavern to retrieve his belongings from his room. Within minutes he was on the road leading toward the mountains in an uncharacteristic sprint.

It was nearly night fall as he reached the village of Haven. In the dwindling daylight fires blazed on the mountain. The stream of light was still further up the mountain and, in the few hours it had taken him to travel to the village, the vortex in the sky had grown in size. From it meteor-like masses glowing the same green as the light fell to the ground all around the village. He grabbed the arm of passing woman. She turned and looked at him in fear. "Who is in charge here?" he urgently asked her. The woman struggled to free herself from his grasp. "Let go of me!" she wailed. He obeyed her demand and repeated his question. The woman swallowed hard while rubbing her arm. Her eyes were wide from fear but she answered him. "Seeker Pentaghast and the commander have gone with the soldiers to find any survivors. Sister Leliana is still here though, organizing the healers and sisters that are trying to calm the villagers." He gave her a small, reassuring smile, "And where can I find this sister?" The woman took a deep breath and pointed toward the gate, "Last I saw her was by the tent just outside the chantry. I'm not sure if she's still there now, but you can't miss her. She's the only sister in chain mail." The mage thanked the woman and headed into the village proper to find this armored sister.

As he walked through the village he passed groups of crying, praying people but pressed on. The only way he could think of to help these people was to find this 'Leliana' and assure her of his willingness to be of use. It took nearly a quarter hour before he finally saw a woman that could only be the armored sister the woman outside the village had told him about. She was walking out of the chantry and, despite the scene surrounding her, was a picture of composure and steely calm. He calmly walked toward the woman and managed to catch her attention. "Sister Leliana I assume?" The woman turned to look at him. Her face shifted from a veneer of serenity to that of suspicion in a blink of an eye. "Yes, I am. And you are?" Her accent was told him at once she was Orlesian but the tone of her voice sounded like less like that of a chantry sister and more like a wary and dangerous creature ready to strike at a moment's notice. "You may call me Solas." He responded. The woman looked him over, her eyes fixing on the staff he held. "You're a mage, are you not _Solas_?" The mage nodded. "I am," he said holding his staff out to her, "and I have come to help. If you will have me." She stared at the staff in his outreach hand as he continued. "A show of good faith. I surrender my staff to you. I assure you I am not threat. I was in the village a few miles down the mountain when I saw that," he said, gesturing toward the hole in the sky, "and I raced here as quickly as I could to offer any and all aid that I am able to." Leliana's face softened, albeit only slightly, as she placed her hand on his outstretched arm. "Well, I will not turn away any offer of assistance. I believe you will need your staff though." He relaxed his arm as she let go of it. "Do you know healing spells Solas?" He nodded. "Good. That is our first priority. Also, if you are able, please try to calm those you heal. The people are scared and trying to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to take control of the situation may make our job much easier." She turned back toward the group that had followed her out of the chantry and Solas headed toward the make shift triage area on the lower landing.

After many hours of healing and trying to reassure the frightened masses that continued to be brought in, Solas was growing weary. He sat back for a moment to catch his breath and swallow yet another lyrium potion. He grimaced at the taste of the liquid as it poured down his throat. He was just starting to consider if he'd prefer drinking a cup of tea rather than have to taste one more draught of the sickly blue colored liquid when he saw stern faced woman in armor walking in front of a procession of soldiers heading in his direction. She and the soldiers that followed her turned to head up the stairs toward the chantry. In the middle of the group were two soldiers carrying a young elven woman on a litter. Solas stood and followed slowly behind them. He watched as the woman, obviously the Seeker that had been mentioned to him earlier, pointed them toward the chantry. "_If that young woman is injured surely they should be bringing her to be healed" _he thought to himself. That was when he saw a flickering green light emanating from the elf's left hand. He turned and looked back at the hole in the sky. _"How?" _he wondered as he saw her chest still rising and falling. _"She's still alive? How is that possible? No mortal being should be able to survive direct contact with such magic." _At that moment Solas decided he would have to find a way to gain access to the young woman. If she had been touched by the magic that created the breach in the sky then it may be possible to use that connection to close it again. He headed up the stairs toward the chantry, looking once more for Leliana.

The left hand of the late divine, a title he had heard someone refer to Leliana as, had been correct in her confidence that she could convince her counterpart to allow him access to study the elven woman. It had taken him a while to convince the sister that he could be of assistance in the matter. Once he had been able to demonstrate he knew much about the fade and how to manipulate it to suit her, she had been willing to listen to his proposal. After only a matter of hours, he was given access to the "prisoner" being held in the lower chamber of the chantry. He spent hours studying the mark on her hand. He had tried everything that he could think of and now he was sitting on a bed in a small hovel of a house near the chantry. Leliana had sent one of her people to collect him and show him to his lodgings. The man that had come for him informed him that the sister was very insistent on him getting some rest lest he collapse from exhaustion. He conceded, knowing that she was right. Besides, he would be able to continue his research in the fade as he rested. Perhaps one of the many spirits he had conversed with in the past would be able to give him council about how to help the young woman. He didn't bother with undressing and, within seconds of his head hitting the pillow, he felt himself slipping off to sleep.

He found himself in unfamiliar part of the fade. Unable to manipulate his surroundings in order to travel to a more familiar area, he explored his surroundings. Part of the environment looked like that of an old and intricately designed structure of some sort, but it was broken and walls and statues floated of their own volition. "_The Temple of Sacred Ashes." _He thought to himself. A dangerous place to be considering the cataclysm in the waking world at this exact spot. He looked around for a way out of the temple. A door, a window, a hole in the wall. Finally, he found a door that lead outside. Ahead of him was a paved path leading down the mountain. He followed it, avoiding the spirits being drawn though the holes in the fade, until he reached the village below. He walked in solitude toward the chantry. Once inside he walked down toward the chamber where the prisoner was being kept. He approached her and was startled to find that, even here, she was still asleep. "The magic is stronger than she is." He turned toward the man behind him. "I really wish you wouldn't do that." Solas said to the man. "Ir abelas Solas." The man said as he walked around the body on the floor. "It is difficult to try to converse with you over your own thoughts. You never stop thinking for a moment, do you my friend." The man circled back toward Solas. "As I said earlier, I find it curious that such a frail, mortal creature could possibly survive the power of the magic that sent me unwillingly into uthenera for two millennia. Not only survive but grow in strength?" The second hadn't meant to be a question, but the man standing next to Solas was obviously curious as to how this was possible. "Is it possible it is because he is an elf?" The man stopped to ponder this question for a moment before responding. "No, I don't believe that is the reason. There is something about this woman…" he trailed off as he returned to the figure and knelt down, brushing an errant hair from its face. Solas knelt down next to him. "What is it, Fen'Harel? What about this woman is different that she'd survive?" Fen'Harel smiled. "Perhaps it is that she is simply too stubborn to die. Can you not feel it?" He placed his hand above the figure. "You can feel the will to live emanating from her. It's impressive." Solas reached his hand out and felt a surge of near electrical energy pulsing around the young woman like a protective aura. "Will she wake, do you think?" he finally asked. Fen'Harel contemplated for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. "It is possible, though unlikely. I sense no magic other than that from my foci from her, she is not a mage. Perhaps her strong will to live will also be able to wake. We shall see." Solas turned to ask another question but he found he was once again alone.


	2. The Girl Who Fell From the Fade Part 2

**Author's Notes: Part 2 of Chapter One. Much shorter. Enjoy**

Several days had elapsed since he had spoken with Fen'Harel in the fade and his friend had been silent since. He had no answers to give Solas which meant that Solas had no answers to give Cassandra now. The Seeker's raspy voice was quickly becoming increasingly angry. She had already threatened the mage with execution as an apostate, accused him of being duplicitous and even said he would be tried as a co-conspirator if he did not give her answers. "What answers can I give you Seeker? I have found nothing that could give any answers that are concrete. I can only speculate. I will study the rift near the forward camp again if it will please you, but I'm afraid that unless the prisoner wakes my theories will remain only that, theories." "What do mean _unless _she wakes? Do mean you think she may not be able to wake?" anger in the Seeker's voice was lightening again, but not much. Solas sighed mentally with relief. "What I mean," the mage responded, "is that it is possible she may wake. The amount of power it would have taken to cause the explosion should have killed her outright, regardless if she was the perpetrator or not. That it did not tells me that her will to live is stronger than I'd expect from any living being. However, is that will is also strong enough to wake her? I cannot tell you."

Cassandra sighed and walked toward the doorway. "Fine. Go study the rift again if it pleases you." She turned back toward him. "But, if you cannot give me a better answer than hoping the prisoner wakes soon, I assure you my threats will no longer just be threats." With that she turned toward the passageway and began heading toward the upper level of the chantry. Solas rubbed his temples, if he didn't find a solution soon he was sure that insufferable woman would truly turn on him. He thought for a moment that he should run, but he quickly dismissed that thought and headed out of the dungeon and up the stairs to see if Varric would go with him to the rift. No matter how skilled a mage he was, the rift was still unpredictable and unsafe to approach alone.

Daylight had turned to night and Solas, his dwarven companion, and the soldiers that had accompanied them were once again fighting a wave of demons that were being drawn through the rift. A loud groan told Solas that yet another soldier had been wounded. Soon they would need to retreat or risk falling to the same fate. He had had no luck studying the rift that night. It seemed that the breach was also rapidly growing again. He wondered what caused the breach to abruptly awaken and was soon given an answer. _"She's awake." _Solas glanced toward the direction of Haven. _"We should retreat. Go to her before Cassandra does something rash." _He thought. _"No need." _Fen'harel replied _"She's nearly here." _Before Solas had time to respond, the demon he had been fighting was collapsing. There was a glint of metal moving up and away from the withering shade. Solas had no time to see who had killed the demon before they were gone. Moments later he heard the sound of metal swinging through the air. He turned to see a lithe form practically dancing around another shade. Her daggers found their way into the side of the creature just as a bolt hit it cleanly between where there would normally be eyes. Without a second's hesitation, Solas rushed over to the rogue. Grabbing her wrist, he focused her mark toward the rift. A stream of light swiftly connected mark to rift and, with a violent blast, the rift was gone.

He had barely been introduced to her for more than a few hours and now she was once again lying unconscious on the ground. The blast of the fade rift had thrown all of them back, but the girl was the only one not to wake up after her wounds had been tended. Solas watched as the girl was once again put onto a litter to make the journey down the mountain to Haven. The sky was now calm and the mark on her hand had stopped growing, but it seemed the exertion so soon after waking up had drained her. He could feel that the spirit inside him was thoroughly impressed.


	3. All Hail the Herald

Dawn was fast approaching but Solas had yet to fall asleep. He was still sitting on a chair next to a bed in a small house near the village gate. On the bed laid the he had spent the last three days studying. The girl who had mastered the mark on her hand so quickly and stared down a pride demon without flinching. He himself was impressed by her, but that was not why he was still sitting next to her. He would have been perfectly content with getting some rest back in the relative comfort of his own bed. It was the spirit inside him, the spirit of Fen'harel that did not want to leave her side. He was insistent that Solas offer to tend to her the first night and Solas had felt compelled to do so. It had been the first time that Fen'harel had ever truly made him do something against his will. It irked him that the spirit had taken advantage of their arrangement but, at the same time, he had to admit part of Fen'harel was right. Many in the village were still suspicious of her. It was yet to be widely known that it had been the "prisoner" who had managed to calm the heavens. _"Some still seek to do her harm." _The voice inside him said, _"We must protect her. She is the key. She can still be of use." _It was true, she was the only living soul who could close the rifts that had formed after the main explosion. Solas needed to speak with Cassandra and Leliana as soon as he could to ensure that the girl was protected.

He began to doze off, slipping down in the chair slightly, when he heard the door open. He jumped up, ready to protect the helpless figure on the bed, when he saw Cassandra enter. He sighed with relief and relaxed. "How is she?" the Seeker asked quietly. "Still unconscious, but I believe she will wake this time." The mage stood and walked over to Cassandra. "I need to speak with Leliana and yourself at the earliest convenience. It is about the girl." Cassandra nodded. "If you like, I can wake her. We can speak in the office in the chantry." Solas shook his head. "No, I would feel better if we spoke here." He turned his head to look at the girl again. "She shouldn't be left alone. That is why I need to speak with you both." The Seeker, who was now also looking at the girl, nodded. "I understand. I will get Leliana at once and bring her back here so we can talk." The woman turned and headed back out into the cold morning air.

As promised, Cassandra returned within minutes with Leliana in tow. Before the door was even closed, the sister had already begun to speak. "Cassandra told me this was urgent. Solas, if you think that I'd allow harm to come to her after what she did last night at the temple, after what we heard and witnessed, you are mistaken." Even now, after being up until well past midnight and abruptly awoke, the Orlesian woman was fully composed. It impressed Solas, even if it was the tiniest bit unnerving that she could maintain such composure after everything that had happened in the past few days. He was sure that she was hiding how she truly felt. It had been obvious in the first few days after the tragedy. He'd seen a look in her eyes of utter helplessness when she thought no one was looking. He had heard her abruptly stop in the middle of her prayers and the sound of things being thrown in anger shortly after many times. He wondered how long until she finally couldn't hold it all in anymore. "I have had my agents watching this house since she was brought her last night. The last agent to report to me before I went to bed told me you were still in here. Have you been here all night?" The elf nodded and Leliana smiled. "A noble act," she continued, "but unnecessary. I think I know what you have called us here to discuss. If I am correct, I quite agree." Solas stood and approached the two women. By the time they were done discussing their plan, the sun had risen and the first sounds of activity filled the silence outside.

After the women left, Solas headed back to his own lodgings on the opposite end of Haven. Once again Leliana had been adamant that he rest before he collapsed from exhaustion. He knew the women would be quick to enact the plan they had discussed and he was confident that the sister's agents would ensure the elven girl's safety in the meanwhile. Before lying down, Solas stripped down to his small clothes and washed. He sat on the bed and set a ward to block out the noises outside, then slid under the covers and fell fast asleep.

The next few days went by quickly. The plan that had been made was quickly taking shape. By the end of that first day, all of Haven had heard about what had happened the night before at the temple. By the second, people could be seen whispering to each other in groups. Murmurs about a woman being seen in the rift behind the survivor had been circulating ever since she had been found, but now the murmurs shifted to the voices that had been heard at the temple, the vision that had been seen and of the brave actions of those who were there. Of the survivor, rumors had begun that she had been saved and delivered from the fade by Andraste herself. Even Leliana nor her agents could explain how that particular rumor had begun. By the third day, excitement had taken over. People prayed in front of the small house where the survivor laid. By then, however, she was no longer being called 'the prisoner' nor 'the survivor'. To the people in Haven, and soon the entire world, the elven woman, whom had been so reviled, would be known as the 'Herald of Andraste.'

On the morning of the fourth day, an elven serving girl ran out of the small house. She was supposed to go directly to Seeker Pentaghast, instead she took time to stop anyone she saw to tell them that the Herald of Andraste was finally awake. Almost immediately, the entire village was buzzing with excitement. People dropped whatever they were doing as soon as they heard the news to find a good spot where they might have an opportunity to look upon the chosen of the Maker's bride. In less than ten minutes a crowd was lined up, making a path from the house to the stairs leading to the landing just below the chantry. Solas left the house he was staying in to find he couldn't move more than a few feet from the door. The steps leading toward the tavern, as well as nearly the entire square in which his house was located, was swarming with people. The mage was only confused by the sight for a moment before he understood what was happening. In the distance he heard the murmuring of the crowd growing louder. Soon the noise grew closer and Solas began to weave through the crowd, managing to reach the side of the house opposite his. He walked the length of the structure until he reached the wood pile behind it where he had a clear view of the chantry. Behind him the crowd, having the same idea, once again swarmed around him just in time to see the elven girl, the 'Herald', reach the doors to the chantry and walk inside.

Solas thought perhaps that now the crowd would begin to dissipate while they waited for the Herald to reemerge from the chantry, but they didn't. Instead the crowd that had been near gate and lower stairs were slowly filling the area outside the chantry. Solas overheard some in the crowd claiming that the Herald had looked at them or had smiled in their direction. Some people began to pray, other stood silent in anticipation. When the doors of the chantry did finally open for the first time since the Herald had entered, the crowd became excited once more. The excitement quickly turned to disappointment as Chancellor Roderick appeared. Instead, some people began to ask where the Herald was to the Chancellor's dismay. He stormed off through the crowd in a huff, which made Solas chuckled to himself. Before the event that stilled the breach and the rumors of the Herald began, the Chancellor had been one of the most sought after people in the small village. Now no one paid any mind to the man unless it was to ask after the Herald. The day before a small riot had to be broken up after someone had thrown a rotten tomato at the Chancellor when he had openly denounced the Herald. Roderick had tried to keep to himself as much as possible after that. Solas was sure that the man was certainly not done in his denouncements, but he was sure even Roderick knew his opinions were no longer welcome in Haven.

Midday brought a new surprise to the people of Haven as Commander Cullen nailed a notice to the chantry door. The news spread quickly through the village as two ravens were let loose into the sky. Outside the walls, a line of villagers and pilgrims alike were enlisting and being given equipment. Two men were climbing ladders to replace the chantry's banner. The excitement in village grew by the hour until, in the late afternoon, Cassandra joined Cullen, Leliana and the Herald in front of the chantry and the official announcement was made. The new banner was unveiled as the crowd listened, for the first time, to voice of the Herald. "People of Haven, I have spoken with the late Divine's council and I stand here to tell you that I stand with them in their decision. I now ask all of you to please listen to what Seeker Pentaghast has to say." With her piece said, the elf stepped back next to Cullen as Cassandra made official what had been spoken of and responded to most of the day.

The Inquisition was reborn.


	4. Who's Afraid of the Dread Wolf

A few days had passed since the announcement in front of the chantry and now Solas found himself sitting next to Varric eating a small ration by a roaring fire. Across from him sat Cassandra and the Herald. They had had little time to converse before beginning the journey to the Hinterlands but, from the few conversations they did have, Solas had learned a few key things about the mystery girl. Most importantly, her name was Keavy and she was from a Dalish clan called Lavellan. She was one of the clan's hunters and had been chosen, alongside two other members of her clan, to attend the conclave and return with information for their Keeper. She had been given space in the chantry to properly mourn her fallen clan members, much to the chagrin of Chancellor Roderick and a few of the sisters. Even though they were not Dalish, many of the elves in Haven joined Keavy during the small ceremony. As did a few curious sisters, to the shock of many. Solas and Leliana were also in attendance. Solas because Fen'harel wished to see how much the ways of the people had changed and Leliana because she understood some Dalish customs from her time with the Hero of Ferelden, a former member of the Sabrae clan. The rest were there simply out of curiosity or to win favor with the Herald. Leliana had held Keavy after they sang the Dalish rite of the departed. Solas had noted that there was not a dry eye in the room, including his own. As they had headed out of the room Solas overheard Leliana as she comforted Keavy. "Ir abelas Keavy. May the Dread Wolf never catch their scent as they travel to the beyond." A fast friendship was cemented as Keavy responded "And you as well Leliana. I hope that Justinia finds peace in the beyond."

Solas had been watching Keavy for several minutes and her eyes continually darting from one end of the camp to the other and the occasional glance over her shoulders made him realize that she was ill at ease. "What's wrong, da'len?" he asked, concerned. She looked at him, a tinge of fear in her eyes. "Nothing," she responded, "It's just…never mind." She stood and headed toward her tent. "I'm going to bed." Varric nudged Solas. "I have hunch about what's up with our _Dalish_ friend." He emphasized the Dalish part as a subtle hint of sorts. "I had a friend who acted the same way the first few times we had to camp outside of Kirkwall. Perhaps _someone_ should speak with her and find out if I'm right." Yet another not-so-subtle hint. Solas put down his bowl and stood up. As Solas approached Keavy's tent, Cassandra began to protest but Varric explained that she might be more comfortable talking to a fellow elf than a human or a dwarf. Cassandra relented and Solas entered the tent.

Inside the tent Keavy was sitting up, staring at the entrance. As Solas entered she jumped back with a start before realizing it was him. "What do you want Solas?" she implored, clutching at her bedroll. "Only to find out what is bothering you." The mage said as soothing as he was able. She stared at him but refused to relax. "You wouldn't understand. You'd probably think I was being childish at any rate." Solas sat down on the ground and gave her a reassuring grin. "I promise I will not think you are being childish. And as for me not understanding, you won't know unless you tell me." Keavy let out a long sigh and released her grip on the bedroll. "Fen'harel." Solas felt the spirit in him suddenly intrigued. "What about him?" Solas asked. "It's…" Keavy let out a frustrated grunt. "When Dalish clans settle in an area we always have a statue of Fen'harel just outside camp for protection." "Protection from what?" Keavy let out another sigh as Solas felt the spirit paying even closer attention to the conversation. "From malicious spirits and from the Dread Wolf himself?" _"Protection from me? Why would I harm any of the people?" _Fen'harel asked, incensed. _"Shh!" _Solas thought. "And because we don't have a statue of Fen'harel outside of camp-" She cut him off. "I know, you think I'm being childish, don't you?" Fen'harel was confused by this. _"This is ridiculous! Why are the people afraid of me?" _Solas attempted to quickly convey have misinterpreted much of the old stories but it fell on deaf ears. _"Let me speak to her." _Solas let him know that was not a good idea. _"Oh for…I promise I can sound just like you. I've had to listen to you speak for months now. Let me talk to her!" _Solas relented and Fen'harel took over. "Da'len," he said putting Solas' hand on hers, "I promise you the Dread Wolf will not look for you this night, nor any other while I am near." The look on her face showed that she was not comforted by this declaration so Fen'harel changed tactics. "I will set wards around camp so that nothing malicious, spirit or otherwise can enter camp. If you wish, I will stay here and keep you safe until morning. I will do that every night until we return to Haven if it suits you." Keavy smiled. "Thank you Solas." Fen'harel receded, leaving Solas in control once more. He stood and headed out of the tent. "I'll be right back. I just need to explain to the others."

Once outside the tent, Solas headed over to Varric and told him everything. Varric chuckled. "I knew I was right. It's just like what happened with Daisy." Solas was about to ask who Daisy was but Varric continued. "I have an idea. When we get the Crossroads I'll send a message to the Nightingale. I'm sure she has a bird or two that knows its way to Kirkwall. It seems that Merrill has another elf to help." Still a bit confused, Solas excused himself and reentered Keavy's tent for a long, uncomfortable night.

As promised, as soon as they reached the Crossroads Varric had a message sent. The next day the bird reached Haven and the message was sent directly to Leliana.

_Nightingale,_

_ I need to ask a favor on Lavellan's behalf. Please send the following letter to my friend Merrill in Kirkwall. I'm sure you already have people there that know of her. Also, please give your people there a plan to safely transport the item described in the letter to Haven. I know it will seem trivial, but if it'll help the Herald, then it'll help the Inquisition._

_ Varric_

Leliana opened the letter and after reading it giggled to herself. It reminded her of the Hero of Ferelden all those years ago.

_Daisy,_

_ Firstly, don't worry I'm fine. I'm going to be sticking around here for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to help fix Blondie's mess. Make sure __the old battle axe __Aveline knows that I'm staying by choice. I wouldn't want her to abandon her post to come "rescue" me, not like she would. Anyway, I need to ask a favor of you. I need to borrow your wolf statue. We have a Dalish girl here who is having a hard time camping without one. You remember what that was like. I promise that I'll bring it back to you in one piece once this is all over. The person delivering this message will know how to get it to me safely. I owe you big time!_

_ Varric_

Within the hour a bird was sent with instructions for her men. If it meant the Keavy would be more at ease, then Leliana was willing to use resources on it.


End file.
